Author: Kristian Pugh

A mid twenties guy with a passion for heavy music, gaming, pro wrestling, and pretty much everything else you could get teased for talking about in school.
Contact: kristianlpugh@gmail.com
Twitter: @KristianLPugh

There’s every chance you went into this years WrestleMania with muted expectations (not quite WrestleMania 32 levels, but muted all the same). The more broader conversation opens up ideas as to whether this years event should have even gone ahead at all – the truth though, is that no one really expected WWE to prolong their marquee centrepiece, they were always going to push on regardless.

In essence an empty venue setting gave WWE the chance to capitalise on opportunities they simply wouldn’t have had under an ordinary scenario, so why not roll the dice? Never again will Vince McMahon and co have the opportunity to stage a second night of WrestleMania for no extra venue rent cost, if they were ever going to pull a two part stunt, the timing would never be more rife.

You can commend WWE for being bold enough to take real risks with this years ‘showcase of the immortals’ (that phrase has become a bit cringe worthy now, hasn’t it?) But it’s inescapable that some flaws were exposed with weeping wounds. As the dust settled, the company had done a phenomenal job under the circumstances of, for the most part, hitting the right story beats. But when ‘The Gronk’ somehow managed to not be the worst part of this show: there are issues that need to be addressed.

For years now the shows have been just too long, last years spectacle could well have gone down as one of the greatest they had ever put on had it dropped, or at least shortened 2/3 matches (are HHH and Batista still fighting?). You’d think that now split over two evenings – the show would feel less like an absolute marathon sit through, even to the most adorning pro-wrestling obsessive.

This still wasn’t the case though, and even with both world championship encounters across both nights lasting a combined 6minutes, part 1 and 2 still felt sloggish. It has become clear that WWE’s mantra of ‘let’s put as many people on the card as we can because it’s Mania’ has started to detract from the ebb and flow of sports entertainments most important evening.

Baron Corbin and Elias were the very illustration of this problem. A feud thrown together at the last minute that people weren’t invested in and knew full well this was just a way to fill 10 minutes, that’s not what WrestleMania is. Side note: last year Baron Corbin retired Kurt Angle – one of the greatest of all time. Had they moved Corbin’s heel character forward in the months after you’d have accepted it, one year later and his most memorable moment of the last 365 was having dog food poured on him by Roman Reigns and The Uso’s. What a waste.

Source: WrestlingWorld

You’d forgive this if WWE only fell down the rabbit hole of throw away matches this year to capitalise on an extra evenings work, but that’s not the case. In retrospect – did the women’s tag title match from last year really need to happen? How about Braun Strowman and Nicholas the year prior? We could go on.

In fairness there’s some cases where crowing the show is necessary, defending titles at the biggest show of the year adds importance to them right? There’s truth to this, but importance is only added when either the story going in, or the story told in the ring MAKES the match important. Case in point: Had we removed Baron Corbin and Elias from the card, Sami Zayn and Daniel Bryan could have had a competitive, 20 minute match to add glory back to the Intercontinental Championship. What we got instead might be a nice moment for a superb, under-utilised performer in Zayn, but this did absolutely no favours for the title round his shoulder.

You could open this further if you wanted, there are simply too many titles in WWE. Would the company benefit from one show being the home of tag team, the other being the home of women’s wrestling? That’s a debate for another time, but no show exposes the company’s over abundance of gold than WrestleMania.

Even when you add in the throw away matches, lack of crowd, and… The Gronk though – it’s fair to say WrestleMania 36 was a success – regardless of circumstance. It stings that fans weren’t there to pop when Otis got the girl, or Mcintyre overcame the beast incarnate, but what’s more important is that they happened. And there’s never a guarantee that Vince McMahon isn’t going to throw an unnecessary swerve just for the sake of it.

It would have been more beneficial to Drew to have more of a back-and-forth match with Brock though these kind of Lesnar matches are infuriatingly few and far between in the present day despite how great a worker he actually is. The bigger picture though, is that a young, new WWE champion that the fans want has been put over by the older, larger name. It’s not exactly the same story for Braun Strowman taking the Universal Championship from Goldberg – as the monster among men has ‘transitional champion’ written all over him, but you can’t cry for youth at the top of the card and then moan when they get there (or at least you shouldn’t).

Yes, Edge and Randy Orton’s Last Man Standing/Performance Centre tour match went 15 minutes too long, but seeing Adam Copeland be capable of putting on a lengthy, stiff match for half an hour bodes well for the future. The right man won, the desperate brawl story telling was, for the most part interesting, and the mind boggles at what could be done with Edge and younger talent. PLEASE ALSO GIVE US EDGE AND AJ STYLES.

Depending on which side of the fence you sit, you’ll either be furious, or fine with the state of the women’s division in the events aftermath. Charlotte taking the NXT title from Rhea Ripley might leave a sour taste right now, but if there’s one woman who can elevate, and add star power to the women’s division in NXT, it’s her. Rhea Ripley will be fine, she’ll be champion again within a year, and Charlotte will have made stars out of at least two women in NXT – stop worrying.

Shayna Baszler’s failure to overcome ‘The Man’ Becky Lynch is slightly more bizarre, especially when she lost to a basic, flat looking roll up. But this goes one of two ways from here: we’re either stalling till Ronda Rousey returns, or Shayna bases Lynch’s victory on luck and suggests some kind of gimmick match where pinfalls aren’t as prominent and takes the title then. Again, it’s early days here, and the big money points to Baszler Vs Rousey somewhere down the line.

What made WrestleMania 36 a memorable spectacle though, was the matches that, had it not been for the pre-taped environment, simply could not have been as grandiose as they were. The Undertaker’s ‘boneyard’ grave style match with AJ Styles was produced, and executed so expertly, you’d be forgiven for never wanting to see Taker’ wrestle an in-ring match again.

The return of biker Taker worked, the casket entrance of AJ Styles was classic heel work, and the story the two told exchanging set pieces made for both comedy and sympathy. It was over the top, and slightly silly in places, but this felt fresh, unique, and it’s undeniably the best program Undertaker has worked since WrestleMania 34’s ‘will they, won’t they’ squash of John Cena. The Deadman feels exciting again for the first time in a long, long time.

Everything pales in comparison though to the whacky, wild, outlandish genius of the Firefly Fun House match, though. Last month ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt was almost being mourned on social media, his loss to Goldberg in Saudi Arabia felt like the harshest middle finger creative had given us in a long time. But on April 5th 2020, The Fiend was wholeheartedly rescued.

It’s difficult to really describe this (match?), it’s simply one of those: GO AND WATCH THIS moments. The references of Cena to Hogan, Vince playing the puppet master role on commentary, the NWO skit, the journey through Cena’s career, the flashbacks of WrestleMania 30, this was truly one of the greatest pieces of production, and creativity that WWE have shown in the entirety of the PG era.

His loss to Goldberg is forgotten, The Fiend has been let back in to relevancy. It goes to show that under the right setting, with the right performers, and ideas going in – anyone can be resurrected in pro wrestling. The showmanship of both Wyatt and Cena throughout the skits was unmatched, and utterly compelling. Similar to the boneyard match, this simply could not have happened in an arena with 80,000 people in, and there was more character building on show for Wyatt here than what could ever have been possible in a standard match in between the ropes. Utter gold.

Sometimes modern day WWE really makes you work for your moments of happiness, we got treated to more than our fill here. Special mention for Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins too, who put on a stellar, stellar performance on night one. When you look back at WrestleMania events over the years, though this one still highlighted much of what needs to be addressed in the company, WWE bought themselves a tremendous amount of faith on a night where under the circumstances, you can’t help but thank everyone on the company’s payroll for working to make it happen.

Despite its name suggesting so, Double Or Nothing was far from a life or death scenario for All Elite Wrestling. Such is AEW’s rabid fanfare, that had Saturday night in Las Vegas turned out to be a disappointing opening chapter for the new wrestling organisation, fans would still have been waiting on tenterhooks for what comes next.

Perhaps the greatest compliment you could pay AEW is that even before the first bell was rung in Las Vegas, this already felt like the most exciting time to be a fan of professional wrestling in recent memory. And now, after taking every bump, high spot, and near fall in – that aforementioned excitement has climbed up yet another notch.

The greatest challenge that AEW was facing here, was to introduce so many of its roster (a lot of whom will be completely unknown to some) on a grand scale while still managing to secure fan investment in them from the off. And bar some minor hiccups, which all things considered you’d be harsh to not expect from a company’s first show – the transition was seamless.

Source: forbes.com

SCU (SoulCal Uncensored) are a perfect example of this, opening the show in a six-man-tag against Cima, T-Hawk, and El Lindaman could have been a risky move. After all, that’s potentially six brand new wrestlers you’re asking the audience to digest and care about. But with that said, the work rate of the match got this over more than the need for character building. The high flying attributes of SCU’s Scorpio Sky and the hyper aggressive nature of China’s T-Hawk allowed this to be a match of risk taking spectacle more than anything else, but when all said and done: you’ll remember these six men, job accomplished.

In contrast the women’s fatal four way between Britt Baker, Kylie Rae, Nyla Rose, and surprise entrant Awesome Kong felt somewhat void of a real hook. With Kong especially appearing to be present simply for the shock and awe factor. Britt Baker correctly got the victory (who seems like the real star of the bunch) but if Double Or Nothing had a negative when it came strictly down to the wrestling: this would be it.

It’s important to point out that as excellent as Double Or Nothing was, even with bias you’d have to admit that it wasn’t the perfect pro wrestling show, and this is of course to be expected. And as absurd as it sounds, you will have come across some in the community that expected this to be a faultless, 10/10 opening exhibition of AEW’s repertoire, and this again speaks to the incredible job that All Elite Wrestling has done of marketing itself already.

Unsurprisingly, AEW’s area for improvement is outside of the squared circle. With commentary specifically being a thorn in Double Or Nothing’s side. Three man commentary teams are for some reason all the rage in today’s wrestling landscape, and even with the legendary JR at its centre, the team of Jim Ross, Alex Marvez, and ExCalibur did little to vocally elevate the in-ring storytelling. Ross started rough but returned to greatness as the night progressed, while ExCalibur put in a solid performance throughout. But the awkward, often overly forced chime in’s of Marvez were a problem for the entirety of the night, and you can’t help but feel like a duo of JR and ExCalibur would have sounded resoundingly better.

Back to what really made Double Or Nothing an absolute success though, the wrestling. Good quality tag team matches that saw Best Friends take on Angelico & Jack Evans and the six woman tag that pit Hikaru Shida, Riho, and Ryu Mizanami against Aja Kong, Yuka Sakazaki, and Emi Sakura added high quality filler to Double Or Nothing’s card, but it’s what came just after the half way point that made this show the success it was.

Cody and Dustin Rhodes (Goldust). Two formally mid-card WWE talents at best put on a match that really has to be seen to be believed. To steal the show on a card that involved Kenny Omega, Chris Jericho, The Young Bucks, and the Lucha Brothers (we’ll get to that later) is quite an achievement. But this was undoubtedly the evenings highest point.

Think about what you love about pro-wrestling and this match included it. The intriguing story of brother Vs brother, hard hitting wrestling, near falls, copious blood loss, an emotional ending. This was the true beauty of this sport spread over 30 minutes and was the greatest match of Dustin Rhodes long career by a significant margin. Capped off by a tearful embrace between the brothers: this was a match of the year candidate where it was needed most. Just go and watch it.

Source: whatculture.com

AEW’s world championship reveal was completed by none other than Bret Hart, adding heartwarming nostalgia to the shopping lost of emotions Double Or Nothing put you through. Some interruptions and run ins from the likes of the No1 contender Adam ‘Hangman’ Page and MJF kept things ticking over nicely. Though, there was never a close up shot of the title, which did seem odd. Regardless, seeing Bret Hart in any capacity is always a treat.

The Young Bucks Vs Lucha Brothers was the best kind of semi-main event you can wish for in this scenario. The crowd were invested from the first tie up, the Bucks’ Nick & Matt Jackson have a chemistry level with Ray Fenix and Pentagon Jr which is a joy to behold. Some of the acrobatics on show here defied description, the crowd popped for every ounce of mayhem the teams threw their way. The Bucks won with the Meltzer Driver, but as with literally every match on this show, there were no real losers here, and the Lucha Brothers will no doubt explode in popularity world over soon, much like the Bucks themselves.

It’s fitting and both deserved that Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega can call themselves AEW’s first ever main event. In Jericho we have one of the all time greats, in Omega you have 2019’s greatest performer. The match didn’t quite live up to the heights of their first encounter in Japan, but don’t let that convince you this wasn’t masters at work. At 48 years old, Chris Jericho can still tell a story like no other, and this was a bruising, relentless battle that Jericho rightfully won, meaning he goes on to face Hangman Page for the right to be called AEW’s first world champion.

Source: ProWrestlingPost.com

Kenny Omega didn’t need to win this, he’s the face of AEW now, and he’ll still be the face in five years. But for Jericho, who is the biggest name in the company, it was important that his actions backed up his words of intent. AEW has claimed that wins and losses are going to matter, this was their proof. Though people may be inclined to discuss what followed the match more than what happened between the bells – this was a main event fitting for such a huge show, two artists at work, painting a classic.

What followed the main event was of course the appearance of Jon Moxley aka Dean Ambrose. The crowd exploded, and it’s funny how Moxley is more interesting in 7 minutes of AEW TV than he was in 5 years post-Shield breakup of WWE TV. He double arm DDT’s everyone in sight (including the referee) but continued the assault on Omega, whom he pretty much demolished as the show went off the air. A Moxley & Omega feud? Inject that into our veins ASAP.

Source: wrestlinginc.com

In the most important show they will ever put on – AEW came out looking like the alternative wrestling company we have been waiting for. Most exciting of all this, is that this, of course, is just the beginning. More names will come, the company has a TV deal nailed on, and an owner in Tony Khan with the infrastructure to invest heavily. You’ll be tempted to proclaim that WWE should be worried, and while that’s true, don’t let that distract you from the fact that AEW are only at the precipice of this mountain. Even with all that said though, was the smoke has cleared on the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, as far as first events go: Double Or Nothing was as good as we realistically could have hoped for. The future of professional wrestling is the brightest it has been in two decades.

If you’re in your mid/late twenties as you read this, the chances are you probably caught on to professional wrestling slightly before or during the attitude era, and what a time to catch on, right? Bikini contests, racially charged story lines, and genitalia references aside; it was a three year period where the popularity of “Sports Entertainment” was at such a level so high – that the smart money suggests it will never be replicated again.

Whether or not the attitude era ended up being a good thing for the business in retrospect is an argument for another day. The fact remains that looking back, car crash TV was entertaining, and boy did we have the perfect roster to dish out the mayhem.

Sitting as somewhat of an on-looker to the most profitable era in wrestling was Bret Hart, who left the then WWF for Ted Turner’s WCW just as the term ‘attitude’ was starting to be coined. Despite being a solid main event player in 1997 when WWE/F began to turn up the risque factor in their programming – the Hitman is rarely associated with the era, mostly because of his departure from Titan tower but also because of WCW’s vastly underwhelming use of the Canadian.

As a result of the watered down version we received of Bret Hart from Ted Turner’s organisation, you could easily be fooled into thinking that the Hitman didn’t play a pivotal role in turning WWE into the global phenomenon it is today; you’d be wrong. In fact, Bret Hart is probably the most important wrestling figure we have ever come across. Austin, Rock, Hogan, Flair, Sammartino, Michaels, The Undertaker, he was more important than them all. Bret is often referred to as one of the greatest of all time, but even that moniker doesn’t do his tenure in the business justice.

It seems like a life-time ago, but when Bret made his arrival into the WWF the company, and the world were stuck in Hulk Hogan’s craze of eating vitamins and saying prayers. And Vince McMahon’s mathematics for success were simple: build up a super heel who will eventually be fed to Hogan’s leg drop. You can question the Hulkster’s work rate all you want but the fact is, it worked, and from 1985-1991 Hulkamania was the cash cow that took professional wrestling from mostly regional, to worldwide.

But while Hogan was the undoubted face of the company, Bret was putting in excellent work in the tag team division with his brother in law Jim ‘The Anvil’ Neidhart. Themselves as well as talents such as Ricky Steamboat, Randy Savage, Mr Perfect, and Shawn Michaels etc were starting to put together athletic, captivating performances that were consistently far out shining the main event in terms of entertainment value; a concept that would pay dividends in the years to follow.

Fast forward to the early 90’s and wrestling was nowhere near as hot as it was just a few years prior. WrestleMania wasn’t drawing 70,000 plus into stadiums anymore, and interest around the product in general seemed to be on the decline. The industry wasn’t quite in danger of going out of business – but pro-wrestling was no longer a worldwide sensation.

This was thanks in part to a mass of steroid allegations that surrounded both Hulk Hogan and Vince McMahon – something VM was very nearly was imprisoned because of. Wrestling needed a new, squeaky clean hero for people to believe in once again – someone who could carry the ball for the company without looking like Mr Olympia.

As it turns out – they had the perfect man for it, by 1992 people had bought in to the character of Bret Hart. By no means the most charismatic, or particularly flamboyant – Bret was respected solely because of his ability to tell you a story in the ring. And its these chapters in the history of pro-wrestling which define the Hitman as the most important wrestler there ever will be.

Image Source: pinterest.com

When the interest in the product was declining, and the perception of the industry was in doubt; Bret Hart was the courageous knight that kept people invested at a time when WWE was struggling financially. Incredible feuds with Mr Perfect, his brother Owen, and British Bulldog to name a few, allowed fans to invest in the concept of two talented workers taking you through twists and turns until an unpredictable climax, no “Hulk Up’s” necessary.

The pink attire, passing his sunglasses over to children in the crowd, his enigmatic entrance music, and his flawless ability in the ring: Bret Hart was everything that WWE needed at the time. Was the company roster filled with other talented individuals? Undoubtedly yes, but none of them could hold a candle to Bret’s ability to deliver the whole package in a believable manner. He was the very depiction of the people’s choice.

It could even be said that of all the “faces” of the company over the last 40 years, none of them had a job as difficult as Bret. Look at it any way you’d like, the fact is that Bret Hart was a draw at a time when people had started to turn their backs on wrestling, and the fans that stayed were ones that had bought into the art form of the sport. You could argue that Hart single handedly ushered in the era where the most talented, not necessarily just the biggest, got the chance to run with the ball.

Despite his massive contributions and importance to the industry in the early 90’s, Bret’s coup de grace in pro wrestling was to come between 1996/7. As we look upon the sport in 2018, we can all but accept that kayfabe is dead, and for better or worse we understand the workings of the business on a huge scale, nothing is a secret anymore. As a result of this – as fans we now realise just how important it is for wrestlers to “make” their opponent when the time is right, and Bret did one mighty job of making two of his opponents in the late 90’s.

Image source: youtube.com

His iron-man match with Shawn Michaels in the main event of WrestleMania 12 for the WWE championship was 60 minutes of wrestling to an incredible standard. Before this point, Shawn was looked at as a phenomenal talent with a strong following; but would he ever be ready to hold the mantle of being “the guy”? It took one hour of vigorous, exhausting story-telling in the ring for you to be convinced that Michaels was the right guy for the title.

Shortly following WrestleMania 12 was when WWE were faced with another financial challenge. Ted Turner’s WCW were acquiring former Vince McMahon talents left, right, and centre, and the NWO story-line had taken over wrestling. For the first time in his life, Vince McMahon was sitting in second place to another wrestling organisation – and the future of the company was once again in doubt.

It would be on one fateful night in Chicago that Bret Hart would make yet another, and possibly his greatest contribution to professional wrestling. Stone Cold Steve Austin, you’ve probably heard of him – from mid 96 to early 97 the Texas rattlesnake had put in heel work of such high quality that fans had actually begun cheering him (an unusual concept in pro-wrestling at this time). His tough guy persona, aggressive in ring style, and fresh mic skills saw him turning into quite a fan favourite.

By the same token; Bret’s shining light persona had started to lose some of its shimmer, it was time to freshen things up, and thus: the cards were set for the greatest double turn in the history of wrestling. To perform a match where the heel and face switch roles is a daunting task for anyone who has ever set foot inside the squared circle, but it just so happens that Bret and Austin were going to do so in one of the great matches of all time.

No one could have foreseen that a simple submission match between the two at WrestleMania 13 would change the business in the way that it did. Go back and watch that match, the crowds investment into the two wrestlers is beyond captivating, and if “Sports entertainment” is the descriptive phrase we need to coin when describing wrestling in this day and age; this match was the perfect example of what it could be.

The two managed to execute a performance that looked like a legitimate fight all with the entertainment thrills and spills you’d come to expect from wrestling. The image of the blood pouring down Austin’s face while Hart attacks his legs with a chair somehow made you feel empathy for a man that had never showed it for anyone else – deep down you wanted him to overcome this obstacle.

But if we’re discussing imagery, there will possibly never be a better image in the history of wrestling than the one that appears at the climax of this match. As Bret Hart has Stone Cold locked in the sharpshooter while the camera pans to Austin screaming with blood running down his face and through his teeth – it sends shivers down the spine. You know how it ends, Austin doesn’t submit but does pass out from the pain, Bret continues the assault after the match, the fans boo Bret, and cheer for Austin when he drags himself to his feet. And there it is: Stone Cold turned face setting him up for arguably the greatest run in wrestling history.

When you look into the folklore of wrestling, this match will be mentioned every single time, and so it should. It was one of the greatest matches of all time that cemented the biggest superstar in history as the guy you could finally cheer for. It’s been talked about to death but when you break it down – Bret Hart was the only man suitable for the role of turning Austin into the good guy; proving he was the excellence of execution.

What followed for Bret was a successful heel run leading the Hart Foundation faction into Survivor Series 1997, you already know what went down in Montreal on that night, but if you don’t: Google “Montreal screwjob” it makes for some fascinating reading.

The attitude era was started at the behest of Shawn Michaels, and Stone Cold, and while Bret’s actual contributions to the era were minimal; it can’t be argued that both Michaels and Austin had reached their star status as a result of their work with the Hitman. And that was the Canadian’s best attribute: his ability to make whoever he was in the ring with look like a legitimate star.

Would we have still seen an attitude era without Bret Hart? Possibly, but whether the era itself would have been anywhere near as impactful can certainly be debated. To put it simply, Bret Hart was the Stretch Armstrong figure that held the company together through the dark times and pulled Titan Tower into a new age of professional wrestling.

When you consider the Mount Rushmore of the industry, and you ask who played the largest roles in making the sport what it is today – it seems harsh to only be able to name four. The star power and mainstream attention generated puts Hogan and Austin on there without question, Ric Flair makes the cut for his sensational work in the 80’s, and the last space belongs to Hart. WWE’s burning light when times were at their darkest; he simply was: the best there was, the best there is, the best there ever will be.

As the dust settles on yet another marathon week of gaming reveals, the age old question will be thrown around from pillar to post: who won E3 this year? As time goes on it’s a question that is starting to have smaller significance, because, let’s face it; whether you loved or loathed Sony’s E3 conference this year – you’re still buying Spiderman come September 7th, right?

That’s not to say that all of a sudden E3 bares no significance on the gaming sphere, it’s still the time of the year where gamers congregate in the hopes of being blown away for what awaits them further down the line. The size and scale of social media is starting to detract from E3’s relevancy though, if Nintendo were to upload a trailer for the next Zelda across their social media platforms today, they’d have every chance of reaching a million people by tomorrow lunch time – and it’s clear companies are becoming more and more aware of this.

Regardless, E3 2018 did its usual job of still giving us plenty to criticise, lush, and wonder over. Here’s what the event tells us about where Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo are heading.

Nintendo

Meant in the most complimentary was possible: things were very much ‘as you were’ for Nintendo. It speaks volumes of the success that the Switch has proved to be, and the Japanese giants deserve all the plaudits that they have received for sticking to their ethos of knowing what their core audience will want, and giving it to them. Back in March of last year you wouldn’t have had to look far for doubters of the sustainability of the Switch – they’ve all since been silenced with sales nearing 20 million, and some mighty strong first party exclusives, oh; and the newly dropped Fortnite.

The ‘Nintendo Direct’ style presentation that the company tend to opt for also speaks for the way that E3 is shifting. A 40+ minute trailer reel with occasional input from developers or Nintendo America CEO Reggie Fils Aime is the kind of showreel that could be released at any point in the year and still get the same traction, and you have to wonder whether Nintendo will find it worthwhile taking part in E3 in future years, especially since the company are so clear on their objective of offering the charming, friendly alternative to Microsoft and Sony.

Image Source: smashbros.com

In terms of what was actually on show though: Nintendo gave credence what a strong position they’re in. There was no new Metroid, Animal Crossing or heaps of new details announced on the new iteration of Pokemon Go; but there was Super Mario Party, Fire Emblem, and of course: Super Smash Brothers Ultimate. The final 25 minutes of the show was dedicated to Smash Bros – showing just how important the franchise is to the Nintendo faithful. The game will go on to sell millions, get people huddled round their friends with Switches in tact, and continue to boost Nintendo’s family, and gamer friendly trend. Nintendo continue to be the quieter but deadly army.

Microsoft

As the pressure continues to mount on Microsoft to deliver a AAA exclusive capable of capturing the zeitgeist, the Americans set out on a near two hour slog of world premiere’s and exclusive reveals. It was the tried and tested formula of having a spokesperson stand on a stage with a multitude of screens behind him/her while they tell you about why every game on show should be on your wish-list. The format is a little mundane by this point but Phil Spencer has enough charisma to not make it a snoozefest within 20 minutes.

The biggest and most telling story to come out of this years E3 though is one that sums up the “console war” of Playstation 4 vs Xbox One. Microsoft’s most exciting announcement wasn’t Halo Infinite, it wasn’t Forza Horizon 4, and it wasn’t Gears 5; because while respectfully all three of those franchises have a large audience and will receive strong sales in their own right, the Xbox One fanbase is crying out for new IP’s to invest within.

Image Source: news.xbox.com

Announcing the purchase of Undead Labs, Compulsion Games, Playground Games, Ninja Theory, as well as new studio called ‘The Initiative’ was Microsoft’s “hang with us” powerplay, and it was one they desperately needed to make. While it may still have seemed disappointing to some fans that Microsoft don’t seem to have a major exclusive to land this fall – the American titans have certainly bought some good will with their studio initiative. An exclusive Ninja Theory title on the Xbox One X sounds incredibly tasty; all eyes on E3 2019… yeah?

Away from the studio news, Microsofts bombardment of world premiere’s backed their often reiterated motto of “this can be played everywhere but will be best on the X”. Sekiro, Cyberpunk, and Tomb Raider were amongst the cross platform games that stood out, but as previously mentioned – it looks like we’re gonna be waiting another year to see if Microsoft can blow us away.

Sony

There was a charming level of arrogance to the way that Sony approached the showcase this year. Announcing several weeks in advance that their main focus of the show would be on four games: Last Of Us 2, Ghost Of Tsushima, Death Stranding, and Spiderman seemed like Sony’s leap of faith into the visions of their partners – and their ability to leave people reeling over what they’re about to see.

It wasn’t just this faith that was telling of Sony’s confidence though, having a whole theatre/church set out and dressed up to mirror the opening scene of The Last Of Us 2 trailer was smug genius. And while the intermission between the end of TLOU2 trailer and moving people across to the arena where the rest of the show would take place was odd – Naughty Dog have more than earned enough stripes to warrant such a bold move. The game itself look shudderingly excellent, and if there’s one team on this planet that can create something to beat the original Last Of Us – it’s most certainly Neil Druckmann and co.

Image Source: gamespot.com

Death Stranding continued to deepen its intrigue factor (does anyone know what that game actually is yet?), Spiderman looked like beautiful chaos certain to sell copies in the millions; and Ghost Of Tsushima was the kind of vast, exquisite looking samurai adventure which finally explains why Suckerpunch went quiet for so long. It’s easy to look at Sony’s conference and scream “THERE WAS NOTHING NEW!” but look deeper and you find a company with 100% belief in their studios, their ethos, and their plan going forward.

With Sony also putting on their annual ‘PlayStation Experience’ event every December, it makes much more sense for the blue brand to save a lot of their new big hitters for their hardcore audience that will attend, as opposed to the heaps of journalists that parade E3.

The Future

Whether this time in five years there is still an annual showcase for all gaming powerhouses to come and show what they’ve got in their locker remains to be seen. But this year certainly painted an interesting landscape for gaming to go forward over the next 12 months, we haven’t even mentioned Battlefield, Call Of Duty, Destiny, or Assassin’s Creed here – which speaks volumes for where the impact of this years gaming expo really landed.

Going forward, all three of gamings biggest hitters left us with more questions than answers, though that is usually the case for this type of event. The term “console war” seems to get more dated every day, especially when each company seems to be particularly adamant in offering something in alternative to the other. As Nintendo continue to make waves, Microsoft build bridges, and Sony reinforce theirs; one thing is clear: it’s a great time to be a gamer.

More than just one of, if not THE greatest game of this console generation; God Of War is the benchmark for what Sony’s gaming philosophy has stood for over the last 8+ years.

You’ll remember that the launch of Playstation 3 wasn’t anywhere near as successful as Sony wanted, a luxury priced machine with clunky online functionality wasn’t going to cut it when Microsoft’s Xbox 360 was reinventing multiplayer gaming, introducing achievements and bringing digital games to life.

But Sony’s faith, attention, and emphasis on single player experiences such as InFamous, Metal Gear Solid 4, Heavy Rain, Uncharted, and The Last Of Us kept the PS3 in the fight with the 360 – despite receiving a few hay-makers in the early going.

As we fast forward to 2018, the Playstation 4 has had one hell of a run in its near five year life span, and the tide has most certainly shifted back in Sony’s favour. A large component in this shift has without a doubt been, once again, a focus on single player experiences: Bloodborne, Horizon, Crash Bandicoot, Nioh, Uncharted 4 (you get the point.) But nothing speaks of the success of the Playstation 4 quite like God Of War.

For context on the success of the game thus far: Gran Turismo 5 was the PS3’s greatest selling exclusive – clocking in at around 12 million copies. God Of War sold 3.1 million copies in 3 days. Reaping the rewards of the huge install base that was there to appeal to, the games developers Santa Monica have taken what seemed to be a tired concept, and reinvented it to what could be looked at as a stand-out moment in the annals of gaming history.

Light spoilers will lie ahead here, nothing that gives any of the twists and turns of the game away (there’s plenty) but some of the combat elements and story ark will be discussed.

Image Source: cnet.com

Story and characterisation are two organs of the anatomy of a game which cannot be understated in terms of importance – especially when it comes to single player experiences. You remember the first time you played as Solid Snake, Marcus Fenix, Commander Shepherd, Nathan Drake, the list goes on. But for all the success that God Of War had experienced in its ferocious combat in previous years, Kratos was rarely a protagonist whose character and back-story were particularly compelling besides him being a super-human Spartan who got angry quite a lot.

With this latest iteration of God Of War, Santa Monica have taken Kratos from his high-horse of emotive ignorance and have turned the Spartan into a tired monster among creatures, but more than that: he’s just a father acting out his wife’s final living wishes. Accompanied by his young, wide eyed son Atreus; this isn’t just a journey into the trials and tribulations of a god-like Spartan, this is front seat viewing of a connection, or seemingly lack thereof between a man and his child.

History confirms that ever-present sidekicks can be more of a hindrance than an addition in gaming, but the story between Kratos and Atreus is so insatiably fascinating that the imaginary thought of this being a solo mission almost doesn’t bare thinking about. You sink into every ounce of dialogue between the two, you have an unquenchable thirst for more knowledge on their back-story; it’s all fed to you in a way that is terrifically paced and Kratos’ mentor over father attitude makes every occasional micro second of affection between the two live long in the memory.

Newcomers to the franchise are more than welcomed here, and Santa Monica employ the genius tactic of feeding you enough information about the characters involved to make you feel a personal connection – while still leaving enough room for you to be curious about certain aspects of their lives. Each participant in God Of War’s 30+ hour story feel absolutely vital to its make-up, and while the main story only involves around 7 characters, they are explored tremendously; from Kratos himself to the dwarven merchants – everyone has a cemented place in this tale.

Despite the flawless story between man and son, combat is where God Of War shines at its brightest. Moving on from the hack and slash, Devil May Cry-esque styled combat of the previous games in the series into a more strategic form of combat, this iteration of the game is some of the most satisfying combat you will ever experience. You sense the power of a univerise at your disposal, and dishing it out on your foes is immediately gratifying.

Image Source: theverge.com

The Leviathan Axe is your meat clever in a butchers shop, and the way it slices through enemies with unmatched gore never stops being a thrill ride. Each new skill you learn or purchase comes with the added bonus of seeing the obliteration of your enemies in another way; throwing your axe into an enemies skull is just as fun as summoning a river of ice to rip them apart.

The Souls like element of being handed a shield and a button for dodging adds to the glamour too, the moments where you’re surrounded with enemies makes for tense chess battles of combat; dodging or parrying just in time before getting a few strikes in and repeating manifests itself into duels of bravery and timing.

Atreus is more than just a character with an intriguing story too, his presence in combat is not only a pleasant addition – it’s a necessity at times. Summoning mythical animal attacks, distracting enemies with arrows, or holding them in position while you decapitate them – Atreus is a vital part of what makes God Of War’s combat as smooth as silk, and the ability to level him up while you go sets in a subconscious mindset that you are part of his growth along this journey.

Perhaps God Of War’s greatest, and possibly unnoticed by some’s masterstroke though is in its camera angle. Yes the visuals are beyond stunning, and the vibrancy of certain areas in the vast world of the game are so breathtaking you’ll be legitimately staggered, but the fact that the entirety of your adventure is done from one entire shot is the cherry on top of this ten tiered cake of excellence. It feels like you’re a first hand witness on this twisting journey, there’s a level of escapism bought with that you may never have felt in a game before. Every boss fight feels extra climactic, every rage burst is a true adrenaline rush. This is a first hand experience of Norse mythology unlike any other you’ll find.

As season passes and micro transactions continue to become ever-present in the gaming world, God Of War is a reminder of the power a single player experience can hold. There’s no other way to dissect it – Cory Barlog and co at Santa Monica Studios have taken a franchise that seemed to be running low on steam and turned it into the Mona Lisa of this console generation.

A story of scattering your wife’s ashes manifests itself into a touching, vivid, incredibly deep journey which stands out as the pinnacle of storytelling over the last 5 years. Several games have paid back Sony’s faith in solo experiences in the last decade or so, but arguably none more so than God Of War. Prepare for shocks, blood, anger, twists, and to immerse yourself in the greatest story on Playstation 4.

It’s probably the most talked about topic in the world of pro-wrestling today, it’s the topic every former WWE performer with a podcast has looked into, it’s the present day ‘when will WWE go back to TV-14?’. In a world where kayfabe barely exists to the point of it being often ignored the second a pro wrestler steps foot out of an arena; the business of professional wrestling has been exposed to the extent that as fans, we probably know a little too much about the product.

This does have its positives, it’s easier to enjoy wrestling as a true art-form if you understand some of the workings that have gone into the finished product. A classic example of this is the Bret Hart vs Owen Hart storyline that ran throughout late 1993 – mid 1994. When you find out that when the original angle was pitched to Bret it was supposedly another brother of his (reportedly Bruce) who was set to feud with the hitman, and Bret threatened to leave the company if they didn’t give the opportunity to his thus far under-utilised brother Owen; understanding the pressure they were under to deliver at Wrestlemania X and Summerslam 94 makes it that much more of a beautiful watch.

But of course the major drawback of the exposure of the business in todays age is that by knowing so much, it becomes that much more frustrating when things don’t pan out the way we want. Fans attitudes have (understandably) become not just “I pay my money, I want to be entertained” but also “I pay my money, why aren’t you listening to me?”. And that’s where Roman Regins comes in, the hand-picked guy to take the mantle from John Cena and push this company through the reality era and beyond, but needless to say its far from gone according to plan so far.

Four WrestleMania main events in a row, rubs from Daniel Bryan, John Cena, The Rock, Triple H, and The Undertaker and yet still Roman is treated with utter contempt by large portions of WWE’s audience. The likelihood is that Reigns is going to continue to be pushed as this company’s number 1 guy, and as tiring as that sounds after the last four years, it doesn’t have to be. Vince McMahon and co could get everything they want from their Roman initiative, it would just take a little space and time.

While turning Roman heel would be immediate money and make him the hottest heel in the industry (honestly it’s baffling how WWE still haven’t gone down that route at this point), that would be too easy. So for the purpose of this article, there will be no heel turn for Roman, but there will be some booking ideas that will allow for WWE’s hardcore audience to buy into the character much easier.

It’s worth baring in mind that at the time of writing, The Greatest Royal Rumble hasn’t happened yet, nor has the contract length of Brock Lesnar been fully revealed – so, we will pretend that Brock Lesnar has signed a ONE year extension only to his WWE contract.

Reports have suggested that the steel cage rematch between Roman and Brock for the Universal Title has been set up so that when Roman goes over, the crowd reaction will come across as heavily more positive in Saudi Arabia than it would have been from a hostile New Orleans crowd at WrestleMania. If this was in fact the thinking behind the concept, it all seems obnoxiously political and ignorant from the WWE creative team, who seemingly refuse to accept the idea that Roman is not yet in the position to be anointed as the new ‘guy’.

Anyway, WWE love to swerve their fans, no one expected Lesnar to retain at WM34, just like no one expects him to retain here. So swerve us again, have Roman put up another valiant effort only to be denied by another 40 F5’s – the match won’t be great, but it adds even more credence to Lesnar’s unbeatable status and puts seeds in the mind of fans that maybe the higher up’s are starting to not fancy Roman (this will become VERY important later on).

BackLash (Roman Reigns Vs Samoa Joe)

Image Source: WWE YouTube Channel

This is where we need to start really relying on our imagination and pretend that Vince McMahon and co will be open to any idea they’re given. Roman loses clean here, 20 minute match of hustle and bustle, few near falls – Reigns falls victim to the cochina clutch, doesn’t tap out – just passes out.

At this point fans start questioning what exactly is going on here, is Roman being punished? Have they given up on him? This would also start affecting the negative response he receives from TV audiences. Fans always expect the Roman Empire to prevail much like the early 2010 years of “Cena Wins Lol”, the moment they feel like his push is declining, the need to boo him goes with it since he’s not on top anyway.

Money In The Bank Build-up

We’re going to follow the assumption here that this years Money In The Bank has one ladder match for the men, and another for the women, with both ladder matches featuring three competitors from RAW, and three from Smackdown Live. The build up to the event itself features your standard qualifying match set-up with Romans qualifying match taking place in the main event of RAW against a recently returned Dean Ambrose. They go 25 minutes with Roman just, just coming out on top – the aftermath of the match sees Ambrose look frustrated and very tentatively shake Roman’s hand before exiting the ring.

As Roman is climbing the ladder to seemingly grab the briefcase, Ambrose returns, pulls him from the ladder, gives him a Dirty Deeds – this is followed by him shouting towards Roman “It was supposed to be my time!” Or words to that effect. The Miz wins Money In The Bank and will eventually cash it in on a Daniel Bryan Vs Shinsuke Nakamura (c) match at Survivor Series, setting up The Miz vs Daniel Bryan at the Royal Rumble.

By the way, if you’re wondering what Brock Lesnar has been doing, he and Strowman wrestle to a double count out at this event.

Extreme Rules

Image Source: WWE YouTube Channel

In the build-up here you have Ambrose’s rhetoric being along the lines of: “It’s never been about me, I took a backseat in The Shield, and I’m not taking a backseat in this company for one more day”. So at the pay-per-view there’s an extreme rules match between Ambrose and Reigns, it’s a brutal one, or at least as brutal as it can be in the PG era. Roman wins via a quick roll-up after a gruelling encounter, Ambrose carries on the beat-down to Roman after the bell and gets suspended by Kurt Angle for gross misconduct.

SummerSlam

Image Source: WWE YouTube Channel

In the build-up here, Seth Rollins is still IC champion, and Roman wins a no 1 contender triple threat against Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn to challenge Rollins at SummerSlam. During the promos Rollins asks Roman: “Do you think you’ve got what it takes to win the big one anymore? You haven’t won one in a while”. Now this is where Roman can start to get over with the hardcore audience: simply focus on his positives and hide his weaknesses.

For all his questionable charisma and lack of promo technique, Roman Reigns is a good worker, that’s not up for debate, and so: put him in situations where he can show off his in ring ability where him winning won’t be looked at as the worst case scenario. Rollins and Reigns go 30 minutes at SummerSlam, putting on an absolute wrestling clinic before Ambrose returns again, and delivers yet another dirty deeds to Roman, causing disqualification.

From here on out there are several ways you can book this, although the option that points to the most money would be a triple threat match between The Shield members inside Hell In A Cell for the IC Title at the pay-per-view, as long as Roman comes out on top whatever follows should work.

And here’s why: the Intercontinental Title spent a long part of WWE’s lineage being the working man’s, wrestling fans championship, the workhorse belt. Roman is particularly accomplished in the ring, so giving him 20-25 minutes on every PPV, managing to come out on top against whoever he faces not only elevates him, but also his opponent and the stature of the IC title. In turn this should build the crowds respect and enjoyment level for Roman up much more than seeing him cut generic promos on RAW about being “The big dog” and eventually holding the weird looking big red belt.

The thought here is: accentuate Roman’s positives i.e. his in-ring ability and hide his flaws i.e. his awkward promos and clumbsy charisma. Though Bret Hart far exceeded Roman, and most other wrestlers in terms of ability inside the squared circle, you’ll remember that Bret wasn’t the best on the mic, especially in the early 90’s; what got Bret over with the fans was their appreciation of his ability inside the ropes, after all – that’s what we’re watching for, right? Apply the same thoughts to Reigns and there’s no reason why the fans won’t gravitate.

This should all culminate with Reigns still being the champ come WrestleMania 35 where he can drop the belt to, well, anyone you’d like, although NXT’s Adam Cole stands out as the obvious choice. By this point, beating Reigns will be a HUGE rub for whomever does so, and there’s a level of prestige bought back to the IC title that hasn’t been there in years. Reigns can now take his respect level from the fans, and apply it to a world title hunt on either RAW or Smackdown Live, though SD Live would be the preferred option here – keeping things fresh and unpredictable.

A star can be made out of Reigns, Rollins, make Ambrose interesting for the first time since The Shield with a heel persona, prestige can be added to the IC Title again, as well as giving fans wrestling to get truly invested in, it all makes perfect logical sense.

There’s proof here that there could be a reason to cheer for Reigns if we are given enough reason to do so, stop treating him like Hogan and Cena and more like a modern day professional wrestling athlete and there’s the investment element right there. Or, you know, you could just turn him heel.